Page 48 - issue
P. 48
A More Meaningful Purim
Gevura
According to Rav Dessler, someone with the trait of gevura is
primarily inner-focused and thinks deeply about his actions
and their effect.
Someone with gevura, or yiras Shamayim, is motivated to
do the mitzvos “the right way.” One way a person with this ori-
entation can connect to the holiday of Purim is by learning the
halachos so that he or she can better understand how to fulfill
all of the mitzvos of the day. In addition, someone with this per-
sonality finds it easier to look deeply at themselves and their
behaviors as compared to someone who is more outward-
focused, like the chesed personality. They can utilize this focus
in improving their mitzva observance and avodas Hashem by
doing a cheshbon hanefesh (contemplating where they are
now and how they can move forward in their spiritual growth).
The gevura person can use this approach to think about how
she can improve in her fulfillment of the mitzvos of Purim and
put a plan into place for doing so.
Gevura-oriented people are often more attuned to the
power of tefila (prayer). Despite knowing that Purim is an aus-
picious time for tefila, many people do not have time to devote
to davening because the other mitzvos of the day are so time
consuming.
Dina Hoffman shares that in order to make her Purim more
meaningful (and manageable!), she and her husband began
attending a neitz (sunrise) minyan on Purim morning, while her
mother babysits for their children. She finds that this way she
has a chance to daven, hear Megilla without a lot of noise and
interruptions, and connect to the power of tefila on Purim. In
addition to starting her day earlier, she noticed a big difference
in how she relates to Purim in general.
For people who are night owls, staying up Purim night to say
tehilim is another great way to connect to the power of tefila.
In the past, a number of Baltimore shuls have opened their
doors for late night tehilim. So far this year, Ohr Hachaim will
be open beginning at 4:30 a.m., and other shuls may do this as
well.
Rav Shlomo Wolbe, in Alei Shur, describes the theme of
Purim as being tznius, defined as the ability to look below the
surface. The gevura personality can take this trait and use it to
better connect to the themes of Purim. For example, reading
the Megilla with a deeper focus on what was happening
beyond the basic storyline to bring about the salvation can be
transformational. The gevura personality can also use this
focus in her own life as well by appreciating all of the things
that had to happen in order to get her to where she is now or
to bring about a particular yeshua (salvation). Doing this cre-
ates a more personal connection to the miracle of Purim.
The customs of dressing up and drinking also have to do
with learning to look beyond the surface, as costumes show that
things are not as they seem, and alcohol can serve to reveal
internal, more hidden aspects of a person. Similarly, the gevura
personality can use her natural way of relating to the world to
40 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
Gevura
According to Rav Dessler, someone with the trait of gevura is
primarily inner-focused and thinks deeply about his actions
and their effect.
Someone with gevura, or yiras Shamayim, is motivated to
do the mitzvos “the right way.” One way a person with this ori-
entation can connect to the holiday of Purim is by learning the
halachos so that he or she can better understand how to fulfill
all of the mitzvos of the day. In addition, someone with this per-
sonality finds it easier to look deeply at themselves and their
behaviors as compared to someone who is more outward-
focused, like the chesed personality. They can utilize this focus
in improving their mitzva observance and avodas Hashem by
doing a cheshbon hanefesh (contemplating where they are
now and how they can move forward in their spiritual growth).
The gevura person can use this approach to think about how
she can improve in her fulfillment of the mitzvos of Purim and
put a plan into place for doing so.
Gevura-oriented people are often more attuned to the
power of tefila (prayer). Despite knowing that Purim is an aus-
picious time for tefila, many people do not have time to devote
to davening because the other mitzvos of the day are so time
consuming.
Dina Hoffman shares that in order to make her Purim more
meaningful (and manageable!), she and her husband began
attending a neitz (sunrise) minyan on Purim morning, while her
mother babysits for their children. She finds that this way she
has a chance to daven, hear Megilla without a lot of noise and
interruptions, and connect to the power of tefila on Purim. In
addition to starting her day earlier, she noticed a big difference
in how she relates to Purim in general.
For people who are night owls, staying up Purim night to say
tehilim is another great way to connect to the power of tefila.
In the past, a number of Baltimore shuls have opened their
doors for late night tehilim. So far this year, Ohr Hachaim will
be open beginning at 4:30 a.m., and other shuls may do this as
well.
Rav Shlomo Wolbe, in Alei Shur, describes the theme of
Purim as being tznius, defined as the ability to look below the
surface. The gevura personality can take this trait and use it to
better connect to the themes of Purim. For example, reading
the Megilla with a deeper focus on what was happening
beyond the basic storyline to bring about the salvation can be
transformational. The gevura personality can also use this
focus in her own life as well by appreciating all of the things
that had to happen in order to get her to where she is now or
to bring about a particular yeshua (salvation). Doing this cre-
ates a more personal connection to the miracle of Purim.
The customs of dressing up and drinking also have to do
with learning to look beyond the surface, as costumes show that
things are not as they seem, and alcohol can serve to reveal
internal, more hidden aspects of a person. Similarly, the gevura
personality can use her natural way of relating to the world to
40 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
